Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Crystal Fielder. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Crystal, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
My authenticity stems from my upbringing and cultural roots. To be effective in a room means I am to command it with my presence and posture. Confidence speaks sometimes without having to say a word, so it’s important to acknowledge where that comes from, where it began, and how to continue to move in that space. I come from a lineage of women who were speakers, who walked confidently into places and commanded the attention of those simply by the gracefulness of their walk, the tone in how they spoke, the look in their eyes, and the smile that followed. It was authority being released without being overbearing. Queen femininity manifested in physical form. It was confidence in knowing why they were there and what the intent behind why their presence was needed in the first place. As a Black woman, it was imperative to my mother that she show me how to be in spaces because the world is watching. As women in society, we are already deemed lesser, but as a Black woman in that space trying to thrive, there’s an aura that must be presented. It’s a harder fight for us because we are only listened to when we are presented as perfection. So, success and learning how to be successful in that space means that I represent my lineage; I represent those who stood before me, teaching me the strength that comes with being a Black woman in spaces not designed for us. I represent those who never got their voices heard or who felt/feel they never will. One voice, one band, one sound.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
With over 24 years of professional evolution, I have dedicated my career to bridging the gap between clinical precision, legal advocacy, and compassionate care. My journey began in 2002 with a foundation in Legal Studies, a background that continues to fuel my expertise in maternal rights and patient autonomy today. This advocacy was further catalyzed by my personal experiences that I named #CrystalsCounsel, which later became a movement that transformed community discussions around health, resilience, empowerment, and self-actualization. This led to the founding of Crown Your Birth- a premier resource for holistic maternal advocacy and personal sovereignty.
As a Multidisciplinary Specialist, I serve as a Full-Spectrum Maternal Support Practitioner and Board-Certified Clinical Herbalist. My practice is uniquely comprehensive, integrating my work as a Trauma-Informed Life Coach and Sex Therapy Practitioner to support the most intimate transitions of life with the upmost care and decorum. To ensure my methodology remains at the forefront in this field, I have incorporated advanced psychological research from Yale University, specializing in the Science of Well-Being.
Being in this field of work allows me the opportunity to help families feel secure in knowing that someone truly has their best interest at heart. I’m so grateful to everyone who has entrusted me in all of these moments. Whether I have a mic in my hand speaking to the spiritual and emotional side of who you are or I am standing next to you in a birthing room, helping advocate for your rights. I bleed gratitude!
Today, as a Motivational Speaker and non clinical Practitioner, I am dedicated to the intersection of maternal rights, trauma recovery, and applied psychological science—empowering my community whether on stage, or through Crown Your Birth to transform labor into legacy with dignity, legal literacy, and psychological strength.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that are most impactful for me are: 1. empathy 2. transparency 3. resilience. These 3 operate like ingredients when baking a cake. You need flour, sugar, and eggs. If you miss one of the main ingredients, you throw the entire recipe off (unless it’s vegan, then you substitute lol). In what I do, in order to be impactful, you’ve got to have a level of empathy with those whom you are trying to engage with. You’ve got to be transparent so it shows the human side of who you are. You also need to have resilience because not everyone can hold the capacity of your truth, and with that, you need to keep moving forward to reach those who are your audience.
My advice for anyone is to remain authentically themselves if you’re a person who is an empath, but with that, you must always be open to learning. Be a student, always. Continue to think of ways to reinvent the wheel that pushes you to grow and think outside the box and bigger than your now. Once you’ve mastered one area, move to the next so you’re serving a buffet, not just a single entrée.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Since it’s May and Mother’s Day is this month, I would like to take this question and give an ode to my mother, Rosie Daniel. The most impactful thing she has done for me was show me how to have tenacity in the face of adversity. My mom’s life story is one that I would pay Netflix to create a documentary or a movie on. The things she’s been through since childhood are for the world to know when she’s ready to tell them in detail. I have watched her overcome and face many things. Public humiliation from a failed marriage was one because that one played out in the public eye, on the news, and in the newspapers. I watched her fight during a time when she was a pastor’s wife while someone tried to literally take her life. I won’t indulge too much, but I watched her keep a posture like I spoke about earlier in the interview and still command a room. While life was scattered, she still represented faith in God. When we lost everything and came back to America (I grew up in Canada), I still watched her go into spaces and exude strength.
Adversity is something where most fall into depression and sometimes become suicidal. We begin to question life and if it is even worth living. How do you look at yourself in the mirror when life is caving? Do you give up and end it all? Do you say I need to pivot? Do you take on addictions because of the weight? I watched her handle it by continuing to show up and figure out strategies that allowed her to start again. She cried, but she never backed down or cowered down to the situations that were happening around her. She moved and still made sure by any means necessary that she and I were taken care of. That is a mother’s love, to still move forward even when sometimes you don’t even know how to. Even if it’s uncomfortable for you as a parent, your children just know whatever you present to them is safe. Watching her move with elegance and strength, rewriting her book of life. Sometimes we think as our chapters are being written that we can’t change the trajectory of the story, but that’s the beauty of our books; we may not be able to erase the words written, but we can turn the page and begin new stories. Thank you, Ma, for turning your pages and showing me in adversity to still move forward because at the end of the day, no matter how weighty the experience feels, I know I’m going to be okay!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.crownyourbirth.com
- Instagram: ImCrystalE
- Facebook: Crystal Fielder
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